Christmas was always a difficult time for Hazel. Especially since the loss of her father. She worried that she would have only ghosts for company the rest of her life. And she wondered if that was even what she wanted.
She sat in the Hufflepuff common room with a hot cup of tea and a head full of confusion.
"What's wrong, honey." Her father sat beside her, watching her intently.
She let out a deep sigh and brushed her red hairs from her face.
"I miss you all." She admitted.
She didn't even have the twins to cheer her up now. They had moved on from all of this and she knew that it was going to be a very long year without them.
She still had Luna.
But even Luna had been busy with Harry and his friends. Since the ministry incident, she had felt excluded. What she was… What she could do… It wasn't natural.
And it was safer for them all if she stayed away.
Hazel got up from her seat, placing the mug down and leaving the common room. Through the kitchen, she escaped up the stairs and into the castle. She knew she was out past curfew, but she didn't care. She found her way into a courtyard, and sat on the edge of the fountain.
Even if she got through her NEWTs, she still had no idea what to do with her life. Before, things might have been different. She could have chosen a career, settled down and done all of the normal things.
But she was now plagued with a curse she couldn't escape. And that terrified her.
Wherever she went, ghosts would follow.
And it was lonely.
She wanted to reach out to the twins, to Harry, to Luna. To anyone and tell them how she felt. But she couldn't. She was trapped in this existence and there was no way out.
"You're not trapped." Her father's words irritated her.
"Then what am I?" She asked, feeling hopeless.
She stared up at the moon and wondered if it felt as lonely as her.
"You have a gift." He tried to encourage. But she wasn't going to listen.
This wasn't a gift anymore. The longer she had it the more isolated she felt. She didn't know how to interact with people anymore. Ghosts were her main companions.
So she took a moment to wallow in her solitude before returning to bed.
The next morning, she woke up to see students smiling and opening presents. It was Christmas morning. And Hazel realised, while they all opened their presents, that she had no one to spend it with this year.
As she walked past, she saw a large parcel with her name in giant, messy letters.
George. She thought.
Hazel picked it up and moved it out of the way, ripping open the paper to see what they had sent her.
Inside, there was another box. And another smaller box. She was beginning to feel irritated. Then she got to the final layer. There was a photo of the three of them, laughing outside of the burrow. It moved as they laughed.
She couldn't help but smile.
She loved them so much. And she wished they were here. But she would have to make it through without them.
The rest of the day was spent doing regular day to day activities. That evening, she saw Harry walking past the library alone. He wasn't usually by himself. But Hazel could understand. After all, she was like him. They both had no one else to spend Christmas with.
She walked over to him, and he smiled at her.
"Hey, Hazel." He greeted awkwardly. "How are you?"
"I'm coping." She smiled as she spoke.
Only he would know how she felt. They were both grieving. They were both struggling with their own roles in the world.
"Are you having a nice Christmas?" She asked him, trying to lighten the mood.
He shrugged. "It's been okay." He seemed uncomfortable about something. "But I have a party for Professor Slughorn's club."
"Are you taking anyone?" Hazel was desperately trying to connect with Harry.
Not just for her father. She wanted that connection. She needed someone who understood her.
"Yeah." He told her. "Luna."
A grin spread over Hazel's face. "You're gonna have a blast."
They started getting looks from others in the corridor and decided to walk together back to the Great Hall. They began walking down the corridor, heading towards the stairs.
"Are you gonna see Fred and George?" He asked awkwardly.
She shrugged, unsure how to answer. "They're busy with their shop, so I don't want to bother them."
She was worried he would push, but he didn't. She appreciated that a lot. Most people would have pushed her on it, but not Harry.
They had gotten to the doors of the great hall.
"I'll see you around." Harry waved goodbye, and Hazel watched him walk in.
She looked around at all the happy faces, and felt sadness. She thought back on her first Christmas. She had just become friends with Cedric and he had thrown food at her head because she was busy reading.
"You were a pain." Cedric was stood next to her, his arms crossed.
Hazel couldn't look at him.
"Why won't you go in? Start living your life, Haze." He tried to convince her.
Hazel couldn't do it.
Things were different now. As much as she wished she could pretend they weren't, they were.
Cedric watched her carefully before attempting to take her hand. She could feel his cold grasp and flinched.
"Sorry… I…" Cedric began to panic awkwardly.
Hazel smiled, taking his hand again and squeezing it. It was nice to be able to feel him. To know he was really there for her.
"Thank you." She was very appreciative of his efforts. It was just not the time.
She released his grip and took one last look at all the groups of friends and family in the Great Hall.
"I don't think I'm hungry anymore." She told him, deciding to return to her dorm.
She sent him back before he could convince her otherwise, and walked back alone.
She figured she may as well get used to it.